1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the separation of coins fed in bulk and more particularly to a relatively efficient and inexpensive separation of relatively small amounts of coins of different sizes presented in a bulk condition for transportation by a belt.
2. Description of Related Art
There are various examples in the industry of distributing coins, medallions, tokens, and various forms of monetary coins of separating such items. For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application 2002-99939 teaches a transporting belt that can transport bulk coins on the belt to a roller positioned at a distance which is slightly greater than the thickness of the bigger coins to be separated and slightly thinner than two relatively thin coins that can be overlaid. The roller can rotate in an opposite direction or a counter direction to the transporting direction of the belt. If coins become stuck between the transporting belt and the roller, the transporting belt will be stopped and rotated in an opposite direction and at the same time that the roller will also rotate in the same direction to provide an effect of dislocating the jammed coins.
The prior art has experienced problems with smaller sized coins that could pass through such a space, and attempts have been made to narrow the gap between the belt and the roller. However, this solution sometimes has difficulty if thicker coins are utilized. Thus, there is still a need in the prior art to improve the separation of coins that are being transported on a belt.